Red Diamonds
by Palla
Summary: Jareth unwittingly messes with a pair of Aboveground residents when he kidnaps the female and her male companion goes on a journey to rescue her.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Red Diamonds
    
    Author: Palla
    
    Rating: PG-13
    
    Summary: Jareth unwittingly messes with a pair of Aboveground residents when he kidnaps the female and her male companion goes on a journey to rescue her.
    
    Keywords: Jareth, romance, friendship
    
    ---
    
    Part One
    
    ---
    
    Anger is more powerful that love, friendship, or anything kind.  An off branch of that emotion is rage, and rage is the maelstrom of the mind.  
    
    Jareth, King of the Goblins, was the Prospero of the Underground at this moment, bringing down the rains and hail that poisoned his mind.  For years he had been like this, destroying his kingdom in an attempt to alleviate the sorrow he felt over the loss of Sarah seventeen years ago.  This was a rather long time to hold a crush on someone, but she had been different, the only one, human or Fae, to ever have beaten his labyrinth.  
    
    Today, he strode down the hallways of his castle, looking for something, anything, to distract him.  The few goblins that had the misfortune to cross his path were kicked out of the way, scrambling off to see to their wounds.  It was typical for Jareth to do this, but lately he had been hurting them a lot more, causing an overflow in the healer's office.  The healer had half a mind to talk to Jareth, but the other half of his mind told him this would be a grievous mistake.
    
    Having paced around the entirety of his castle at least twenty times, Jareth decided to retire to the Escher room, a pleasant pastime.  Of course, this might be a bad idea, since this was where he had last seen Sarah in the real world.  He dismissed this thought; he would not let this phantom woman rule him anymore.  Reluctantly, he had to admit; it was time to leave her where she was and think no more on the subject.
    
    "Having an off day, my dear friend?"
    
    Looking up, Jareth saw a man standing on the ceiling.  Or, maybe, the floor?  
    
    "Dannos, how nice of you to drop in.  Might I ask what this visit is all about?"
    
    The man, who for all appearances looked no more than sixteen years of age, frowned.  "Haven't you missed me these past centuries?"
    
    "Not really.  Your magic caused me quite a bit of trouble when you were last here.  Speaking of which," Jareth chuckled as he walked through an arch, "weren't you banished from the Underground for your prank on the High King?"
    
    A red tinge appeared on Dannos's cheeks.  "Truthfully, I was, but the king has said that, as long as I don't stay here too long, I am allowed to return to my home for periods of time."
    
    "Is this recent?"
    
    "Quite."
    
    "And your first visit was to an old friend?  Something is amiss in this.  You were never much for friends unless you were trying to get them to join you in some troublesome adventure or prank.  What is it this time?"
    
    Dannos descended the stairs in front of him and met Jareth at the bottom (or the top?).  
    
    "I am offended that you'd think such a thing of me.  We were best friends once, weren't we?"
    
    "Before you used your magic to put gallons of the Bog's water into my bedchamber, yes, we were friends.  Which is one of the reasons why I am not sending you into an oubliette at this very moment."
    
    "The other reason?"
    
    Jareth smiled.  "Maybe it is because I am intrigued.  I must admit that many of your escapades were quite interesting.  Am I correct in assuming that you are here to propose a trick?  A prank of some sort?"
    
    "Not so much a trick as the bringing someone here for some fun."
    
    Jareth's eyebrow rose at this.  "You cannot be serious.  Do you not know what happened the last time that a human was here?  You wouldn't, though; you were still Aboveground at the time."
    
    Dannos shifted uneasily at the mention of this.
    
    "What?" Jareth questioned, noticing the all too familiar expression of nervousness.  "What do you know?"
    
    "It's not so much what I know, but rather what every human in the Aboveground knows."
    
    Jareth's confused look proved that he had very little to do with the affairs of Sarah's world and therefore knew nothing of what had happened when Sarah had returned home.
    
    Dannos sighed.  "In the human year 1986, a film was released which told the story of Sarah's journey here.  I believe Sarah may have acted in the movie under an alias.  How else could someone know the tale in such detail?"
    
    This was an overload.  Jareth sank down onto one of the steps. 
    
    "She.she's told the world our secrets?" he whispered, shocked that the woman he had thought he loved would do something like that.
    
    Dannos could see that his words were affecting Jareth more than he would have thought, or liked for that matter.
    
    "Come on, old boy.  You can't let this disturb you.  Tell you what; how about if you and I go Aboveground and have a little fun?"  He snapped his fingers.  "I have the perfect idea."
    
    Jareth leveled a cool gaze in his direction.  "What, my dear friend, might that be?"
    
    A mischievous glimmer appeared in Dannos's eyes.  "You'll have to wait and see."  With a wave of his hand, the five-hundred-year-old Fae vanished, knowing that, seconds later, Jareth conjured a crystal and followed him.  To the world above his own, to the world of humans.
    
    To Sarah's world.


	2. Chapter 2

Title:  Red Diamonds
    
    Author: Palla
    
    Rating: PG-13
    
    Summary: Jareth unwittingly messes with a pair of Aboveground residents when he kidnaps the female and her male companion goes on a journey to rescue her.
    
    Keywords:  Jareth, romance, friendship
    
    ---
    
    Part Two
    
    ---
    
    Dannos inspected his surroundings as he appeared in the Aboveground.  He had transported himself into a men's bathroom in a building he'd had the misfortune of being forced to attend for the past three years.  A high school was a miserable place, he decided.  Not a place he would have chosen to spend the time had he had any choice.  Unfortunately, to blend in with the mortals, he needed to accomplish the things expected of a human teenager.  He himself was a man in his late teens by Fae standards, but by human standards he was five hundred.  Shaking his head, he remembered the pity he'd felt for humans when he learned of their requirements. 
    
    A splash and a loud yelp broke him out of his thoughts.  Turning, he watched as Jareth exited a stall, shaking his foot vigorously. 
    
    "Where are we?" the blonde Fae growled.  He waved his hand, drying his boot instantly.  "And what are you wearing?"
    
    Since they were in the Aboveground, Dannos had thought he would switch back to the clothing he had become accustomed to.  When he had lived in the Underground, he had worn robes of silk and velvet.  In high school, he wore long sleeved shirts thicker than normal, sweaters they were called.  He had exchanged his breeches for a pair of stiffer, blue pants that ended just above the cloth-covered shoes he wore.  Pulling a case from one of his pockets, he removed from it a pair of glasses and put them on.
    
    "This, Jareth, is what people wear in this world," he stated, looking into a mirror on the opposite wall.  Being Fae, he was vain by nature and loved to look upon himself and better his appearance if possible.  "I would advise that you change your clothing and hair.  The people of this world would be likely to consider you a same-sex tendency person if you were to walk around like that."
    
    Jareth looked down at his clothing.  It was the same outfit he had worn when he and Toby had danced with the goblins.  True, it had been remade several times since then, but it was the same design and had the same colors.
    
    "I am a king and must dress as such," he said, looking disdainfully at Dannos's attire.
    
    "In the Underground you are a king.  Here, to see what I wish to show you, you must appear as if you were on of the humans."
    
    "But."
    
    "There can be no exceptions.  Do you know how arduous it was for me to build this life?  I do not want it destroyed in one afternoon," Dannos said somewhat vehemently.  His dark eyes were afire with the beginnings of anger.
    
    Jareth nodded.  He understood what Dannos meant about building his life.  It must be much like building a kingdom.  There was no rest, and there was always the chance that someone would come along that could completely upset everything you had worked for.
    
    Silence overcame the pair.  Jareth realized that he and Dannos were very similar in many ways.  Both were facing or had faced a threat to themselves and that which they held close to their heart and spirit.  Jareth had been defeated by a mortal and had his kingdom torn apart in that same moment.  It had taken months to repair the damage.
    
    Dannos, on the other hand, having been banished from the Underground, had been forced to make a new life among mortals.  By bringing Jareth into it, there was the possibility that Jareth would destroy everything.  It was a tremendous risk and Jareth had no desire to betray this trust.
    
    With a reluctant wave of his hand, he produced a crystal.  He threw it up into the air and it shattered over his head, showering glitter over his body.  
    
    The leather and silk melted away into a pair of jeans and a thick blue sweater.  His long blonde hair changed from its usual unruliness to straight shoulder-length hair tied back in a ponytail.
    
    "Is this suitable?" Jareth questioned, holding his arms away from his body as if he had not yet become used to this idea of mortal clothing.
    
    Dannos nodded.  "Oh, and one more thing," he added as he turned to walk out the door.  "You will need to use a pseudonym while here.  Jareth is not exactly common."
    
    Jareth grimaced.  His name came from his great-great grandfather, the once ruler of the entire Underground.  Back home, it was considered a name reserved only for very special kings.  "What would you propose?"
    
    Dannos rolled his eyes.  "If anyone speaks to you and asks your name, then tell them you are Jonathan.  That is all they will need to know and probably all they will want to know."
    
    "And you?  What do I call you?"
    
    "Daniel Matthews, Danny for short."
    
    Jareth smirked.  "All right then, Danny Matthews.  Let us go and see what it is you wish me to see."
    
    They left the bathroom not understanding completely what would happen when what Danny planned took a twist.  An interesting twist none could have expected.
    
    None.


	3. Chapter 3

Title:  Red Diamonds
    
    Author: Palla
    
    Rating: PG-13
    
    Summary: Jareth unwittingly messes with a pair of Aboveground residents when he kidnaps the female and her male companion goes on a journey to rescue her.
    
    Keywords:  Jareth, romance, friendship
    
    Disclaimers: I do not own the Labyrinth or Jareth.  Heather obviously belongs to me, while Will and Dannos/Dan belong to their real life counterparts.
    
    ---
    
    Part Three
    
    ---
    
    The hallways were bright with the sunlight that filtered in through the long windows in the walls.  Jareth was both impressed and disgusted by the scene he saw.  It was all too filthy for his tastes, dust and waste all over.  The floors were dirtier here than at his own home where goblins were the housekeepers!  He had not thought it possible that there were worse keepers than goblins, but he had been wrong.  
    
    However, other than the poor upkeep, he had to admit that it was a relatively nice place.  The windows let in a wonderful light.  Courtyards were sporadically placed throughout the building; those he found the most pleasing.  Flowers were planted and trees grew high in these places.  Hard to believe that there were any spots of beauty in such an otherwise horrible place.  
    
    Jareth was once again proven wrong when he saw what Danny was leading him to.  They had entered one of the courtyards and, sitting at one of the tables, he saw the most beautiful creature he had ever had the good fortune to look upon.  He took no notice of the boy that sat beside her as he took in the finer points of her beauty.
    
    She had short blonde hair that shone more brightly than his.  Though she did not look directly at him, he saw that her eyes shifted from sapphire blue to emerald grin.  Shock and something else that was nameless ran through his body, through its entirety.  Never had he seen someone that could equal any of the Fae and Sidhe lovers he'd taken to bed over the centuries.  
    
    Jareth hoped largely that, when Danny spoke of bringing someone to the Underground, he had been speaking of this angel.
    
    "Jonathan?"  He shook his head when he realized Danny had been calling his alias for a full minute.  "Jonathan, that is Heather."  Danny smirked.  "Like what you see?  Ah, but be careful.  That boy beside her is her boyfriend, what you'd call lover though they have not shared a bed yet."
    
    "And to a king this makes what difference?" Jonathan said with much arrogance.  He turned his gaze upon the girl again.  "She is beautiful.  Is this the surprise you intended for me?  If so, I must agree that she is quite a surprise.  I had not thought it possible."
    
    ".Possible for any woman but Sarah to fill your mind?"
    
    The smile dropped from Jonathan's lips.  It was all too true what Danny was saying, but he didn't have to admit it.  Did he?
    
    ~@~
    
    Heather laughed as her boyfriend, Will, recounted to her something that had happened in class.  As she did so, she knew her eyes sparkled with that happiness that had not been visited upon her in such a long time.  With the coming of spring, she had changed and so had everything with her, all of it for the better.  
    
    "Will," she whispered, leaning in against his body, breathing in his smell.  She sighed, completely content in that moment just to be near him.
    
    He smiled down at her.  "You're beautiful, do you know that?" he whispered against her hair, kissing the top of her head.  She would have replied had she not seen Danny approaching over Will's shoulder.  Smiling, she kissed Will's cheek and sat up.  
    
    "Hello, Danny," she greeted, stroking Will's hand with her thumb as she conversed.  Heather had not known Danny for very long, two to three years at most, but he was one of her best friends.  Will had known him since childhood and they were absolute best friends.  
    
    She looked to the man standing beside Danny and was hit by a wave of familiarity.  He was.he was unbelievable.  He was too handsome to be so young.  It seemed to her that his handsome appearance was ageless and perhaps it was, for her reminded her of an ageless king from a child's fairy tale.  
    
    "This is Jonathan, an old friend of mine," Danny said as he introduced the boy who was more man.  
    
    Heather peered up at the man curiously, examining the fine features of his face.  His jaw angular, eyes bright as jewels, he was all too beautiful.  He couldn't be human; it just wasn't possible.  He, he looked like a king.  
    
    King of the Goblins to be exact.
    
    Her eyes widened as the voice spoke in her head.  No, what is this? She thought to herself.  Am I going crazy?  Just because this man is physically the same as the King of Goblins, does this mean he is?  Am I insane?
    
    No, you are not insane, the voice said again.  I am whom you think, but just how much proof do you need to believe that?
    
    You, the king, can I see your kingdom?
    
    Only if you leave this life and this man and stay with me forever.
    
    Heather could not believe what was going on inside her head.  This conversation, there was almost no way it could be happening.  But, if it were.
    
    No.
    
    ~@~
    
    That word rang through Jareth's head like an echo in a cavern.  He took a step back, not understanding.  No woman had ever refused him when he had invited her to his castle.  Of course, none of them had been humans from the Aboveground, but that should have made no difference.  Anger began pulsing through his veins, so powerful that his hands started to tremor.
    
    No.
    
    ~@~
    
    Danny had chatted amiably with Will for the past few minutes, but halted when he saw how Jareth was acting.  The fine tremor started in his hands and traveled up his body.  Danny knew not the cause of the anger, but he guessed, no, he knew that something had happened between the minds of a king and the girl.
    
    And he knew; this was his doing.
    
    ~@~
    
    All time seemed to halt in that moment.  Will was confused.  What was happening?  The boy he knew as Jonathan stepped forward waved his hand around, and that it when the world collapsed.
    
    ~@~
    
    A crystal appeared in Jareth's hand.  So angry, he threw it to the ground in front of Heather.  The orb exploded, covering the girl in a shower of silver glitter.  She screeched as it burned her skin and as it made her vanish, whisking her away to a world she had once admired and now feared.
    
    Will! She cried.
    
    Jareth turned.
    
    "Your woman is now mine," he snarled.  "Save her if you can."  With those words, he returned to the home where he knew he would never venture from again.  The Aboveground was too poisonous and hateful a place where a Fae could lose his temper too quickly.  He conjured another crystal and was gone.
    
    Save her, if you can.


End file.
